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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Haroon Siddique and Nicola Slawson

Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic GB victory parade – as it happened

Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic GB victory parade takes place in Manchester

That’s it from us. Thanks so much for joining us and for all your comments.

Olympic and Paralympic Athletes Celebration Parade 2016General view of the Team GB Olympic and Paralympic athletes on stage during the Olympic and Paralympic athletes celebration parade in Manchester. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday October 17, 2016. See PA story SPORT Olympics. Photo credit should read: Martin Rickett/PA Wire
All the Olympic and Paralympic athletes on stage.
 Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

The Olympians seem to have enjoyed themselves:

Now that the event is drawing to a close, here are a few of the best pictures of the stars of both the Olympics and Paralympics:

Olympics & Paralympics Team GB - Rio 2016 Victory ParadeMANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 17: Max Whitlock during the Olympic Parade in Manchester on October 17, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Lynne Cameron/Getty Images)
Max Whitlock. Photograph: Lynne Cameron/Getty Images
Nicola Adams
Nicola Adams. Photograph: Craig Brough/Reuters
Team GB Homecoming Parade - ManchesterBritain Olympics - Team GB Homecoming Parade - Manchester - 17/10/16 Team GB Women’s Rugby 7’s on stage Action Images via Reuters / Craig Brough Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Team GB Women’s Rugby 7’s. Photograph: Craig Brough/Reuters
Olympic and Paralympic Athletes Celebration Parade 2016Sarah Storey (right) and Kadeena Cox during the Olympic and Paralympic athletes celebration parade in Manchester. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday October 17, 2016. See PA story SPORT Olympics. Photo credit should read: Danny Lawson/PA Wire
Sarah Storey (right) and Kadeena Cox. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA
Olympic and Paralympic Athletes Celebration Parade 2016Gordon Reid on stage during the Olympic and Paralympic athletes celebration parade in Manchester. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday October 17, 2016. See PA story SPORT Olympics. Photo credit should read: Tim Goode/PA Wire
Gordon Reid on stage. Photograph: Tim Goode/PA
Olympics & Paralympics Team GB - Rio 2016 Victory ParadeMANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 17: Ticker tape fills the air as members of Team GB celebrate on stage outside Manchester Town Hall in Albert Square after a Rio 2016 Victory Parade for the British Olympic and Paralympic teams on October 17, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Ticker tape fills the air as members of Team GB celebrate on stage outside Manchester Town Hall. Photograph: Jan Kruger/Getty Images

Updated

My colleague Josh Halliday managed to grab a few word with Maddie Hinch the Olympic hockey hero, before she was ushered on to the stage by a coterie of Team GB officials. She nearly missed today’s national parade after getting stranded at Schipol airport in Amsterdam - but was saved, ironically, the Dutch airline KLM.

Team GB Homecoming Parade - ManchesterBritain Olympics - Team GB Homecoming Parade - Manchester - 17/10/16 Maddie Hinch (2nd R) of Britain and team mates on stage Action Images via Reuters / Craig Brough Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Maddie Hinch, second right and team mates on stage. Photograph: Craig Brough/Reuters

She said: “We had a nightmare to make sure I got here on time but thankfully it was all sorted. I tweeted it and it went a bit mad then everyone was trying to help me get me back to Manchester. Then KLM Airlines heard and they got me through real quick. How weird is that! They’re not holding the gold medal against me too much over there - very ironic that the British airways couldn’t help me out and the Dutch came to the rescue.

“It’s been so cool. We all got really emotional on the lorry thing. Even in this weather people are out to see us - it’s absolutely freezing cold and wet and they’ve all still got smiles on their faces. It just shows how much of an impact we’ve had. It’s been a really cool day.”

Updated

Decked out in a Union Jack flag, 21-year-old Mandeep Singh, from Stratford in Manchester, ditched his giant gold wig to proudly show off his turban to the photographers.

“I’m the only Sikh guy here,” he beamed. “I’m really proud to be British.

Mandeep Singh
Mandeep Singh. Photograph: Josh Halliday for the Guardian

“You can really feel the atmosphere,” he said before the heavens opened. “I was surprised when they said it was Manchester, I thought it was going to be in London, but it’s great that other cities get to share that culture and look at the athletes.”

Maddie Hinch, the goalkeeper for Team GB’s gold-medal winning hockey team, has made it to the parade after fearing she would miss it when her flight from the Netherlands was cancelled earlier today.

She and her team mates just got one of the biggest cheers so far on stage.

Updated

A selection of pictures from the parade shows a joyful event, with people turning out in their droves despite less than ideal weather. People waved flags and placards, expressing their pride and gratitude at Team GB’s Olympics achievements.

Fans line the route with signs and flags.
Fans line the route with signs and flags. Photograph: David Davies/PA
People show their support during the Olympic and Paralympic athletes celebration parade in Manchester.
People show their support during the Olympic and Paralympic athletes celebration parade in Manchester. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA
Fans line the streets despite rainy weather.
Fans line the streets despite rainy weather. Photograph: Mark Robinson/Getty Images
Dancers parade through the steets during the Olympic and Paralympic athletes celebration parade.
Dancers parade through the steets during the Olympic and Paralympic athletes celebration parade. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA

Updated

The sun is coming out at last. Lots of people are tweeting pictures of rainbows over the city:

Standing in a crowd of thousands at the steps of the town hall, Diane Clarke, the mother of Para canoeist Rob Oliver, said she was “absolutely bursting with pride” at her son’s achievements.

Diane Clarke, the mother of Para canoeist Rob Oliver,
Diane Clarke, the mother of Para canoeist Rob Oliver. Photograph: Josh Halliday for the Guardian

Oliver, 28, an aeronautical engineer from Birmingham who happens to be the world’s 5th best para canoeist, suffered a double break of his right leg in a football accident in 2008. He suffered a series of complications and had 17 operations before the leg was eventually amputated.

Then last year, after winning silver at the European championships in Milan, he was mugged - suffering a serious shoulder injury in the process. Not that any of that stopped him from standing on the podium in Rio.

“The Paralympians before they even start training are inspirational. It’s a word that’s used too often but when you see what they go through before they event start competing it is unbelievable,” she said.

“Even coming here today sitting on the train and I said I can’t believe we’re going to Manchester to watch Rob in the Olympic and Paralympic parade. It’s unreal really.”

“2008 was a vile vile vile year and for him to come back from that is amazing. He was very angry, very depressed but through it all he was still Rob - thank god he came back.”

Rain, what rain? Here are some of the Hockey gold medalists enjoying the Kaiser Chiefs despite the weather:

A rain soaked Max Whitlock has ruled out appearing on Strictly Come Dancing like his team mate Louis Smith, who was the winner of series 10 in 2012. He says he focusing on preparing for the Tokyo games in 2020.

This is the scene in Albert Square where an event for the athletes will be held at 5:30pm. It will include performances by Rebecca Ferguson and the Kaiser Chiefs, who stepped in for Olly Murs, who was forced to pull out.

Here is Jessica Ennis-Hill, who has just announced her retirement:

After all that toil to get an Olympic medal or three, one wouldn’t want it to get wet:

Lots of athletes are taking selfies including the rowers on float seven:

The weather may not be Brazilian but there is still a carnival-style atmosphere:

Here’s another big star of the summer, the ever-smiling - except when punching someone - double-Olympic boxing flyweight champion, Nicola Adams, on float four:

The floats are starting off down Liverpool road. The first two of the 14 are the ParalympicsGB athletics float followed by the TeamGB athletics float.

The floats will alternate between Olympians and Paralympians with different sports on different floats.

Maddie Hinch, who was goalkeeper for Team GB’s gold-medal winning hockey team feared she was going to miss the parade when her flight to Manchester was cancelled earlier today....

But I’m happy to report that after the intervention of another PR-savvy airline she has made it and is on a float with her teammates.

Immensely popular swimmer Ellie Simmonds, who took her tally of Paralympic golds to five this summer, is heading to the start of the parade.

It’s raining on their parade but Mancunians are used to it so not going to allow it to spoil their day.

Updated

The athletes who help Britain to a record-breaking performance at the Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics are set for a rousing reception as they parade through Manchester this afternoon.

The parade, which precedes a similar celebration in London on Tuesday, will feature around 350 Olympians and Paralympians, including heptathlete Jessica Ennis Hill, who last week announced her retirement, boxer Nicola Adams, Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds and Britain’s first gymnastics gold medallist Max Whitlock.

The city is a fitting venue for the event, as athletes from Greater Manchester, particularly cyclists, many of whom live near the city’s velodrome, played a significant part in Britain’s best ever performance at an overseas Olympics, which saw Team GB bring back 67 medals - 27 gold, 23 silver and 17 bronze - as they finished second in the medals table. The Paralympians recorded their performance ever, winning 147 medals, 27 more than at London 2012.

The parade, which will include performances from Rebecca Ferguson and the Kaiser Chiefs, is due to begin at 4.30pm and the excitement is already building, especially about the lion who will lead the parade.

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